Hospitals, nursing homes, and other patient care facilities typically include patient monitoring devices at one or more bedsides in the facility. Patient monitoring devices generally include sensors, processing equipment, and displays for obtaining and analyzing a medical patient's physiological parameters. Physiological parameters include, for example, respiratory rate, SpO2 level, pulse, and blood pressure, among others. Clinicians, including doctors, nurses, physician's assistants, and other medical personnel use the physiological parameters obtained from the medical patient to diagnose illnesses and to prescribe treatments. Clinicians also use the physiological parameters to monitor a patient during various clinical situations to determine whether to increase the level of medical care given to the patient.
Patient monitors capable of measuring pulse oximetry parameters, such as SpO2 and pulse rate in addition to advanced parameters, such as HbCO, HbMet and total hemoglobin (Hbt, THb, or SpHb) and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors are described in at least U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,013, filed Mar. 1, 2006 and entitled Multiple Wavelength Sensor Emitters and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/366,208, filed Mar. 1, 2006 and entitled Noninvasive Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor, both assigned to Masimo Laboratories, Irvine, Calif. (Masimo Labs) and both incorporated by reference herein. Further, noninvasive blood parameter monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors, such as Rainbow™ adhesive and reusable sensors and RAD57™ and Radical-7™ monitors for measuring SpO2, pulse rate, perfusion index, signal quality, HbCO, and HbMet among other parameters are also available from Masimo Corporation, Irvine, Calif. (Masimo).
Advanced physiological monitoring systems may incorporate pulse oximetry in addition to advanced features for the calculation and display of other blood parameters, such as carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO), methemoglobin (HbMet) and total hemoglobin (Hbt or SpHb), as a few examples. Advanced physiological monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors capable of measuring parameters in addition to SpO2, such as HbCO, HbMet and Hbt are described in at least U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,013, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Multiple Wavelength Sensor Emitters and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/366,208, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Noninvasive Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor, which are each hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Further, noninvasive blood parameter monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors, such as Rainbow™ adhesive and reusable sensors and RAD57™ and Radical-7™ monitors for measuring SpO2, pulse rate, perfusion index (PI), signal quality (SiQ), pulse variability index (PVI), HbCO and HbMet among other parameters are also available from Masimo.